In 1917, the Jewish population of Harlem peaked at about 175,000 Jews, making it second only to New York City’s Lower East Side in number of Jewish residents.

Though mostly forgotten, symbols of this past exist in Harlem today, from the Star of David atop the Commandment Keepers Congregation on West 123rd Street (seen in photo at right), or the inscription, reported by The New York Times, on the marble pediment leading to the baptismal pool at Mount Olivet Baptist Church that reads: “Jehovah is in his holy temple; be silent, before him, all the earth.’’

“After nearly a century, Jewish communal life is quietly returning to West Harlem as a diverse group of Jews move back to a neighborhood once rich with synagogues, Yiddish theaters and kosher butchers.”